I Married Donna
by John Hawkman
Summary: AU; Ten and Donna are married and living in London, raising their two sons. Chapter Eleven: Alone
1. Parents Evening

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The Doctor sat in the TARDIS console room, reading the paper. He was sitting in his comfy chair, his feet up on the ottoman. He had hung his blue jacket and colorful tie up on the hat rack, and was sitting there in his trousers and white shirt. At that moment, he didn't have a care in the world.

/

The TARDIS door opened up, revealing an eight-year old boy in a school uniform, with a very long scarf. His hair was ginger, like his mother's, but styled like his father's.

"Hello Dad," he said

"Hi, Harry," The Doctor got up, "How was school?"

"Fine," Harry put his schoolbag on the sofa, then sat down on it

"Is that all?" The Doctor got up, "Something interesting must have happened."

"Well…I punched Bob Kozlowski in the lunch line."

"See? Was that so…WAIT, what?"

/

Harry went to watch cartoons. Moments later, another boy walked in. He was about fifteen, and wearing a hoodie in contrast to his brother's school uniform, and he had short bleached-blonde hair.

"Alright Dad?" he asked

"Alright, Paul?" The Doctor replied

"Is it cool if I go round Greg's house later?"

"Only if you clean your room."

/

The Doctor resumed reading his paper.

"Doctor!"

"It was nice while it lasted," The Doctor muttered to himself, "Yes, Donna?"

Donna walked into the room; she hadn't changed much in the years she and The Doctor had been together. Thanks to a regeneration exchange, Donna's aging was as slow as The Doctor's. She had on an apron; she had been in the middle of cooking dinner.

"Doctor, I just found a note in Harry's jacket!" Donna exclaimed, "Parents evening is tonight!"

"Calm down, earth-girl," The Doctor got up, "It's not the end of the world."

"But it's so last minute! And we can't get anyone to watch Harry!"

"Well, we could let Paul watch him."

"You really he's responsible enough?"

"He's a Time Lord, is he not?"

/

Later…

/

Donna stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom, straightening out her dress.

"OK, now remember, don't tell people you've met Benjamin Franklin, don't use your screwdriver to make the clock go faster, and leave your toys at home."

"I don't have carry those anymore," The Doctor retorted

Donna reached into the Time Lord's pocket, and took out his water pistol.

"Well, there's that," The Doctor muttered

Donna groaned, and pulled open The Doctor's jacket.

"A whoopee cushion, Cub Scout Knife…" she fumbled around inside, "A ground-to-air missile launcher?"

"I have a permit for that!" The Doctor protested

"Theta, I'm nervous enough as it is!" Donna said, "Can we just be normal, for one night?"

/

The Doctor and Donna walked into the console room, where Paul and Harry were waiting for them.

"Hello, kids," The Doctor said, "Now, we'll be gone for a couple of hours, so Paul, make sure Harry eats all his dinner, and don't let him watch South Park."

"Got it," Paul nodded

The Doctor and Donna walked to the doors, but then The Doctor quickly turned around, and pointed to Paul.

"What do you do if Harry bangs his head?"

"Take him to Aunt Martha."

"Right. What if there's a fire?"

"Extinguisher's in the kitchen."

"OK…what do you do if the Axons return?"

"Lock the door and call The Brigadier?"

"Just checking…"

/

The Doctor and Donna strolled down the streets of London discussing what they would do.

"What's the name of Harry's teacher?" The Doctor asked

"Ms. Charesekkar," Donna replied

"Right…"

/

Back at the TARDIS…

/

Paul and Harry sat in front of the TV, watching cartoons.

"Hey Harry, can you go run yourself a bath?" Paul asked

"Can't I wait until mom and dad get home?" Harry asked

"You could, but if mom and dad come home and find that you've already taken a bath, then they'll trust us. So the next time they leave us alone, we can do something really cool."

Harry's eyes lit up.

"Could we take the TARDIS somewhere?" he asked

"Sure."

"Promise?"

"Cross my hearts-and count these-and hope to die."

"OK!" Harry ran to take a bath

/

The Doctor and Donna walked into the fourth grade class at Nathan Turner Primary School, with all the other parents. They were all standing around, chattering and gossiping amongst each other, arguing whose kid was smarter or more athletic. The Doctor didn't really like going to schools; too many painful memories of Prydon Academy on Gallifrey. He simply sat down at a desk and took out his electric baseball game.

"Oh no you don't," Donna said, snatching the game, "Come on, talk to some people."

"I don't know anyone," The Doctor reminded

"Well get to know some people!"

Donna dragged him over to a group of dads.

"This is Jacob, Eric, Anthony, and Roger," Donna said, "Guys, this is my husband…John. Talk football or something."

/

Harry was in the TARDIS bathroom, filling the tub. He turned both taps and then realized he had forgotten to get a towel. He walked downstairs to the linen closet, trying to find one.

"Harry! Time for dinner!" Paul called

"Coming!" Harry replied

He closed the linen closet door, and ran to the kitchen, where Paul was putting dinner on the table.

"What are we having?" Harry asked

"Hamburgers and crisps," Paul replied, "It's the best I can do."

"Cool."

/

"Welcome parents," Ms. Charesekkar said, "It's so nice to finally…"

The Doctor shifted in his seat, scraping the metal on the floor and making a rude noise. The Doctor looked around in embarrassment.

This'll probably be the high point of the evening, Donna thought to herself.

"…meet you all," Ms. Charesekkar completed, "Let me start out by saying that all your children are doing very well…"

"Say, which student is the smartest?" someone asked

The Doctor recognized the woman as Janet Harlingen, a very stuck-up parent whose kids usually excelled and didn't care who knew it. He knew almost everything about her from listening to Donna complain when they were doing the dishes.

"It's not about who's smartest…" Ms. Charesekkar began

"Then who's doing the best grade-wise?" Dirk Harlingen asked

"Well…" Ms. Charesekkar began

Dirk and Janet were waiting to hear their kids names.

"…that would be Harry Noble."

The Harlingen's looked very surprised. Horrified, almost.

"Who?" they asked

"Our son!" Donna grinned, "I had no idea he was doing so well!"

"You should be very proud," Ms. Charesekkar said

"He gets it from his father," Donna explained

"Ah yes, Dr. Noble, isn't it?"

"That's true, Ms. Cha…Ms. Cah…" The Doctor struggled with her name

"It's Ms. Charesekkar," she corrected, "Rani Charesekkar."

"Rani?" The Doctor asked, getting up

"It's a very common Indian name!" Donna reminded

The Doctor sat down, and placed his sonic screwdriver back in his pocket.

"Just checking…"

/

Paul and Harry had finished their dinners, and had gone back to the living room to watch some more TV.

"Hey Harry, when are you going to take your bath?" Paul asked

"What bath?"

"I thought I told you to run yourself a bath?"

"Oh no!"

Just as Harry realized what he had done, the entire floor above him collapsed, sending the bathtub, the sink, and the toilet crashing through, luckily missing the boys. The burst pipes poured water into the room.

"Mom and dad are going to kill us!" Harry croaked

"Could this get any worse?" Paul groaned

/

"…and I also think it's important for students to learn…"

The Doctor's cell phone rang.

"Sorry," he said, "Must be the kids. I just need a moment."

The Doctor pulled out a cell phone with brass plating and grinding gears.

"Hello? Oh, hi Brigadier, something wrong? It flooded? All the way to the console room? I'll be right over!"

He hung up the phone, and then faced a room full of confused parents.

"Trouble with the babysitter," The Doctor lied, "Have to go."

The parents murmured phrases of approval.

/

The Doctor and Donna ran out of the school.

"Why don't we have a car?" Donna complained

"We've got plenty of cars!"

"I MEAN A NORMAL CAR!"

The Doctor held out his screwdriver, and attempted to signal a taxi. Then Donna stuck two fingers in her mouth, and whistled, incredibly loudly. A taxi screeched to a halt next to them.

"This time…" Donna produced a wad of cash, "I've got pockets!"

/

Harry and Paul were trying to clean up the water with mops.

"We called The Brigadier," Harry said

"Check."

"And he said he'd call Dad."

"Check."

"And what about the main cutoff valve?"

"Uh…"

Paul then noticed that the water was rising. He tried to remember the instructions that The Doctor gave him.

/

The taxi tore through the streets, heading to the apartment block that the TARDIS was hidden in.

"Oi! Can you speed this thing up?" Donna yelled

"I'm already going a hundred miles an hour!" the driver protested

The Doctor used his screwdriver to hit the brakes, and the car swerved into their building's parking lot. The two of them got off the car, and ran to their apartment. It was partially inset into the building, to give the impression that it was just another room. The Doctor hastily opened the TARDIS doors, letting gallons of water flow out, soaking his trousers.

"Oh no!" The Doctor groaned

The Brigadier stepped out of the TARDIS, completely soaked; his uniform clung to him.

"Oh good, you're here," The Brigadier said, "I've sent Benton into the pool room to cut off the water, but there's still a good deal of cleaning up to do."

"How did this happen?" Donna asked

"Oh, apparently Harry left the bath running too long," The Brig replied, "Luckily the flooding is confined to the console room and the living room."

"What about the bathroom?"

"It's now in the living room."

"Mother…!"

Just then, Harry stepped out of the TARDIS. The Brigadier hastily covered the boy's ears, protecting him from Donna's tirade.

"Oh," Donna realized her son was there, "Thanks Alastair."

/

Hope you liked it; I will post more soon.


	2. Paul and Greg's Day Off

Chapter Two

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Author's Note: I know Chapter One originally had a line about The Master, but that was a mistake I made. If it's any consolation, The Master will be making appearances in later chapters.

/

"Boys!" Donna called, "Breakfast!"

Paul and Harry got up, and walked into the corridor. Their rooms were right across from each other. Harry was already showered and dressed, ready for school. Paul, however, was still in his underwear, his hair was a mess.

"Hey, bro," Paul muttered, still half-asleep

"Morning," Harry replied, cheerfully

They walked to the kitchen, where Donna was serving breakfast.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Donna asked, handing them plates of food

"Spelling test," Harry said

"Did you study?"

"Yes, mum."

"Paul, isn't today your school trip?"

"Mm." Paul muttered

Donna sighed; it was impossible to talk to Paul in the morning.

"The UNIT museum should be exciting," Donna continued, "I hear they've got some Yetis there. You know, they're not so tough."

Paul muttered something else through a mouthful of bacon. Just then, The Doctor walked in.

"Morning, ya'll," he said, sitting down

"Hello, Martian-boy," Donna said, affectionately, "How many pieces of toast do you want?"

"Three," The Doctor adjusted himself in his chair, "I've got a big day at work. The Brigadier has some Silurian water excavation tools he needs me to look at."

"It's Paul's school trip today," Donna reminded

"Yeah," The Doctor nodded, buttering his toast, "Maybe I'll pop over there, say hi to your class. Oh! I could show them my lab, maybe even do a few experiments."

Paul's eyes shot wide open.

"I thought that would get you up," The Doctor grinned

/

At school, all the students in Paul's class lined up in front of the bus, preparing for their trip. Paul met up with Greg Harkness. They were a strange pair, Paul with his blue pinstriped hoodie, Greg with his WWII pilot's jacket. Their English teacher was always on their backs about their jackets, and their cell phones.

"Sup," Greg nodded, speaking in an American accent

"Sup," Paul replied, fist-pounding his friend

"I'm going to ditch today," Greg announced, "You in?"

"Uh…" Paul thought for a moment, "Sure. What's the plan?"

"Well, when everyone gets off the bus…"

Greg stopped mid-sentence. Two cute French exchange students walked past them.

"Bonjour, Je m'appelle Greg Harkness," he grinned

"Stop it!" Paul warned

Greg turned back to Paul.

"…so anyway, when everyone gets off the bus and goes into the museum, we don't go in."

Paul was confused. Greg was usually a master tactician, but now…

"That's your plan?" Paul asked

"Hey, I only just got the idea!" Greg protested, "Cut me some slack!"

/

They went ahead with their plan. Discreetly, they made their way away from the group, and hid behind a dumpster in an alleyway.

"So what now?" Paul asked

"We wait five minutes, and then we'll go downtown to the pool hall," Greg decided

"Downtown?" Paul asked, "Greg, I don't have any money for the bus."

"We don't need it," Greg grinned

He held up his arm, and pulled down his sleeve, revealing a leather wrist-strap.

"I swiped my old man's vortex manipulator. We'll teleport all the way."

"Awesome!"

/

The rest of Paul's class was being taken around the UNIT museum.

"…and here we have several artifacts recovered from the 2009 Dalek Invasion of Earth," the tour guide said, "Among items recovered include an actual Dalek. We keep him down in the basement."

Several students gasped.

"But his gun and plunger have been removed," the tour-guide assured, "He's no threat to anyone."

Mr. Sparrow turned to Ms. Alexander.

"Is it just me or are we missing some students?" he asked

"Yes," Ms. Alexander nodded, sinisterly, "Noble and Harkness, I believe."

"Well, I'm sure they'll be found soon," Sparrow decided, "Let's let them…"

Suddenly, a UNIT soldier ran into the room.

"We have to evacuate the base!" he gasped, out of breath, "The Dalek has escaped!"

At once, the students started panicking.

"Everyone freeze!" Mr. Sparrow bellowed

They all stopped; Mr. Sparrow could be quite terrifying if he wanted to.

"Now, we will calmly exit this building," Mr. Sparrow said, "Everyone form a line, single file."

He leaned over to Ms. Alexander.

"Find those students or we're all screwed!" he hissed

/

Greg nervously typed on the vortex manipulator.

"I thought you knew how to use one of those?" Paul asked

"Give me a minute!" Greg groaned, "Dad and John make it look easy!"

He pressed the blue button; the device started to bleep rapidly.

"Okay, hang onto me," Greg instructed

Paul grabbed onto his friend, and they beamed away.

/

"OK, the building's been swept," Mr. Sparrow sighed, "They're not here."

"What if they got exterminated?" Ms. Alexander asked

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Mr. Sparrow advised, "We should start by calling their parents."

/

Donna was busy on the TARDIS console phone when Mr. Sparrow called.

"Oi! You said you'd bring it round TODAY!" Donna yelled, "Now if you're not here in half an hour with my husband's tools…I'M COMING ROUND THERE! Do you want that?"

There was an awkward silence.

"OK, stop crying," Donna said, "Come on. I didn't mean to shout. Stop that, Mickey…"

/

"No answer at home," Mr. Sparrow said, "We'd better try his father."

/

Unit HQ

/

"You can't fight them!" The Doctor yelled

"Yes you can!" Colonel Johansson yelled back

"I will not have my men sent on a suicide mission!" The Brigadier yelled

"Bullets won't stop them!" The Doctor argued

"Ten rounds, rapid fire!" Johansson ordered

"You'll be responsible for the extinction of an entire species!" The Brigadier warned

"Will you stop yelling!" The Doctor screamed

"Never!" Johansson yelled

"Hold on," Benton interrupted, "Who are we talking about?"

"The Sontarans," The Doctor replied

"I thought we were talking about the Sea Devils?" Colonel Johansson asked

"Are we?" The Doctor asked

"I'm pretty sure it's the Daleks," The Brigadier said

"No, that doesn't sound right…"

The men thought for a moment. Then the phone rang.

"Hello?" The Doctor picked it up, "Yes, this is him. What? I'll be right over."

The Doctor hung up the phone.

"Doctor, if we don't initiate the airstrike," Johansson warned, "Then whoever it is we're fighting will be…"

"Sorry, Colonel, we'll have to have this discussion later," The Doctor threw his coat on, "There's some trouble at my son's school…"

"Oh, sure, go ahead."

/

Greg had gotten the coordinates right; the two boys landed just by the pool hall in one piece.

"That was a lot smoother than normal," Greg noted

"You're welcome," Paul replied

"Did you do something?" Greg asked

Paul tapped his two hearts.

"I'm a Time Lord, am I not?"

/

The two of them entered the hall. They had expected to be alone, but it turned out that a lot of other people felt like taking a day off. But Greg and Paul didn't care. Greg took down a couple of pool cues from the wall, and Paul inserted some coins into a table.

"So how did your date go last night?" Paul asked

"It was unusual," Greg replied, "Derek's parents were conservative, so I put on a wig and a dress when I went to pick him up."

"So they'd think he was going out with girl?"

"No, so I could see the look on their faces."

/

Paul broke the rack; the balls went spinning out of formation.

"I guess I'm stripes," Paul announced

Greg leaned down on the table, positioning his cue. He was an excellent player; he lined up a perfect shot where he could pocket at least three colored balls.

"The school's starting an abstinence club," Paul said

"WHAT!" Greg missed his shot, pocketing the white ball

"Just kidding…"

/

After their game, Greg and Paul started to walk to the shopping center.

"Hot Topic's still got that sale going," Paul remembered

"Do University girls go there?"

"Yeah. This one time…oh jeez!"

Paul grabbed Greg, and dragged him behind a coke machine.

"What is it?" Greg asked, "Daleks? Sontarans?"

"Worse! I think that's one of my dad's friends."

"Ah!"

Greg took a quick peek around the coke machine.

"Yeah, I know her," Greg said, "She's always frosty towards my dad."

"Sarah Jane?" Paul asked, confused, "What makes you think that she's frosty?"

"Because she never remembers Dad's name. She's always calling him 'Captain Jack Harder' whenever they go into his office."

"Greg," Paul interrupted

"Yeah?"

"Think about that for a moment."

Brief silence.

"Oh!" Greg exclaimed

/

The two boys paced through the flea market, attempting to walk past Sarah Jane. Paul had his hood up, Greg slipped on a pair of aviator shades. They had almost made it when…

"Paul, is that you?" Sarah Jane asked

Paul grimaced, and turned around.

"Hello, Sarah Jane," he replied

"Shouldn't you be in school?" the woman asked

"Uh…the heater exploded," Greg lied

"But it's not cold today."

Paul realized they weren't going to fool her anytime soon. Sneakily, he slapped Greg's wrist, hitting a button on the vortex manipulator. To their surprise, it blew up a parked car across the road.

"My car!" Sarah Jane exclaimed

"Leg it!" Paul whispered

/

Back at the TARDIS

/

Paul walked home after a great day out; after they had gone to the shopping center, they had made their way to McDonalds. Greg had planned out their excuse; they'd just say that they missed the bus and had to walk home.

"Afternoon, TARDIS," Paul said, sticking his key in the lock

The teenager opened the TARDIS doors, which opened up and revealed his parents. They did not look happy.

"You got a call from Sarah Jane, didn't you?" Paul grimaced

"Oh yes," Donna nodded, "You are in big trouble, sunshine."

"Paul, go to the Zero Room," The Doctor ordered

"But dad…!"

"Now! Allons-y!"

/

Later

/

The Zero Room was a room in the TARDIS where the influences of the rest of the universe did not exist; it provided a calm, restful atmosphere in which to reflect on one's activities, which was why The Doctor had sent Paul there. It looked just like the TARDIS console room, with the same coral theme, only with no machines or furniture. Paul hovered in mid-air, using his willpower to sustain himself. The Doctor entered the room silently.

"Paul!" he called out

The boy's concentration was shot; Paul couldn't hold himself anymore, and fell to the ground.

"Yeah dad?" he groaned, getting to his feet

"Come with me."

/

Paul walked with The Doctor down the corridor, up the stairs, and up to a round wooden door. The Doctor opened it and walked inside. The room had a tool-rack on each wall; they were lined with sonic screwdrivers.

"Wow…!" Paul breathed

"I don't have to tell you what these are," The Doctor said, "As you know, they've been getting me out of trouble peacefully for centuries."

The Doctor took down the simplest screwdriver, which resembled a small silver penlight.

"This is the only one I didn't make," The Doctor explained, "I want you to have it."

The Doctor tossed the screwdriver to his son; Paul felt like he had just been handed the Holy Grail.

"I can't stop you from getting into trouble," The Doctor explained, "But I can at least make sure you've got a better way out than a vortex manipulator. There's just one condition."

"Anything!"

"Don't tell your mother."

/

To be continued


	3. Little Sarah

/

/

/

Paul walked hurriedly through the console room, throwing his backpack over his shoulder. He passed Donna, who was showing Harry how to monitor Sontaran warships on the TARDIS screen.

"I'm off out now," Paul said

"Have fun," Donna replied

"Where are you going?" Harry asked

"Just over to Greg's," Paul replied, "Mr. Harkness got blown up by a car bomb, and we're going to watch him re-grow."

"Can I come?" Harry asked, eagerly

"Sorry, little bro," Paul replied, "It's sort of a teenager-only thing."

"Oh," Harry was disappointed

/

Paul left; The Doctor walked in.

"Dad, why does Paul always want to be around Greg?"

"Yeah, why does he?" Donna turned to The Doctor, "You don't think…?"

"Maybe," The Doctor said, "I mean, I'd still love him, I just wish it wasn't with Jack's…"

"No, I mean why does he want to be around Greg and not me?" Harry interrupted

"Oh, it happens to everyone at that time in their life," The Doctor said, "They only want to hang around people their own age."

"Yeah," Harry had heard it before, but it still didn't make him feel better

"Well if you're feeling lonely, you could call up one of your friends, and I could take the two of you to the park," Donna suggested

"But I want someone who I can do TARDIS stuff with," Harry explained, "And the only fun person who knows about it is Paul."

"I'm sorry, Harry," Donna said, "But if the media found out about the TARDIS…"

"…then the resulting anachronism would create a surplus feedback caused by the Blinovitch Limitation Effect that would hopefully be localized to our galaxy, I know."

"You're still welcome to hang out with me," The Doctor assured, "How about you give me a hand cleaning out the storage area in the floor?"

"Alright…" Harry sighed

/

Moments later

/

The Doctor and Harry stood in front of the TARDIS console, holding their old-school Nintendo controllers.

"Is there any way to get inside Phantom Cave without the skull ring?" The Doctor asked

"If there was, I'd have done it already," Harry replied, "And…oh! Watch out! Evil Queen!"

The Doctor hastily started pressing buttons.

"How do you fire the lightning gun?" The Doctor asked

"Down A!" Harry said

"It's not working!"

"You're pressing the wrong button!"

"I am not!"

Donna walked into the room.

"Hey boys," she said, "How's it going?"

"Fine," The Doctor replied

"Aren't you supposed to be cleaning out that storage area?"

"We started to," The Doctor said, "But then we found this."

"I should have seen this coming," Donna groaned

There was a knock at the door.

"Earth-girl, would you get that?" The Doctor asked

Donna begrudgingly walked to the front door, and opened it.

"Oh, hello Sarah Jane," Donna smiled

"Hello," Sarah Jane replied, "I just wanted to…"

On the TARDIS screen, an image of a green-skinned woman came up.

"Look Dad, she's back!" Harry yelled

"Why don't you just die, you evil queen of the undead?" The Doctor yelled

Sarah Jane looked at The Doctor with shock.

"Oh!" The Doctor looked up, "Not you! I was just…um, playing…"

He climbed over several wires.

"How are you?" The Doctor asked

"I just came by to get the compensation for my car," Sarah Jane said

"Um…"

"The one that your son blew up."

"Uh…"

"The green Nissan Figaro."

"Oh! Yes, I think I've got a few gold bars lying around the vault."

"Splendid. Do you mind if Little Sarah waits in here?"

"Sure."

/

Sarah Jane opened the TARDIS doors, revealing a seven year-old girl in red-and-white striped overalls, holding a stuffed owl. She was Little Sarah, a clone of Sarah Jane Smith.

"Hello, Little Sarah," The Doctor grinned, bending down to her level

"Hello, Doctor," she replied

"Harry, say hi to Little Sarah," Donna prompted

"Hi Little Sarah," Harry muttered, engrossed in his video game

"We're just going to go down to the vault," The Doctor said, "Play nice."

"Okay," Harry replied

/

The grown-ups left; Little Sarah walked up to Harry.

"What are you playing?" she asked

"Extra-Terrestrial Hunter IV," Harry replied

"Is it two-player?"

Harry slid the spare controller over to her. Little Sarah put her owl down on the console, and sat down next to Harry.

"How do you fire the torpedoes?" Little Sarah asked

"Press A and B at the same time."

Little Sarah yanked on the controller to avoid hitting an enemy submarine, and accidentally pulled out the console from the…console.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Little Sarah said

Harry picked up the console.

"I think I can fix this."

He attempted to reconnect the console's many chords and wires, but with no avail.

"I didn't mean to break it," Little Sarah said

"It's alright," Harry replied, "I was just playing to make dad happy."

"Oh. Well what can we do instead?"

"We could…"

/

Moments later, the two kids were in The Doctor and Donna's bedroom. It was a strange room; it had a paved stone floor, with a fountain in the middle and several hanging plants. The ceiling was just like the walls of the console room; they were the only ones that changed. The walls were brick, with ivy growing on them. The Doctor's bed was large, big enough for four people (according to Greg's dad). Harry and Little Sarah jumped up and down on it.

"I bet I can touch the ceiling!" Harry yelled

"Not before me!"

Little Sarah leapt into the air, and hit the ceiling, almost smashing one of the roundels . She then landed on the floor.

"You win," Harry slid off the bed

"Do your mum and dad really sleep here?" Little Sarah asked, "It seems too…normal. From what mum told me about The Doctor, I thought he'd sleep hanging from the ceiling or something."

"It's not as normal as it looks," Harry said, "Watch this."

He knocked on one of the bricks in the walls, and a section slid out, revealing a secret passageway.

"Wow!" Little Sarah was enthralled

"Do you want to see where it goes?"

"Okay."

/

The two kids walked through the passageway, until they came to the exit. Harry shoved the door open, revealing a normal looking room. It had two sofas, an armchair, and a TV resting on a dresser. They were hovering several feet about the floor.

"This is amazing," Little Sarah said

"There's a gravity inverter in the room upstairs," Harry explained, "Nothing can touch the floor."

"Really?"

Little Sarah held her owl out into the room, and let go. It shot up to the ceiling.

"You must really like living here," she said

"It's alright."

/

After making their way through the upside down room, they adjourned to a rather large room that looked like a cathedral; in the middle of the room was a large square with a dome in the center.

"So what's this room?"

"It's the Eye of Harmony," Harry explained, "It used to power the TARDIS."

"Used to?"

"Something happened to the original one. But it's still kind of cool."

Harry placed a hand on the square, and the dome opened up, glowing green. Suddenly, the entire room began to warp.

"Did you just turn off the laws of physics?" Little Sarah guessed

"Yeah."

"You're so lucky, mum never lets me do that."

/

Harry and Little Sarah went into the living room to watch cartoons on the wall-size TV; moments later, Sarah Jane walked in on them.

"Come along, Little Sarah," she said, "We have to go."

"Now?" Little Sarah whined, "Can't I stay and play with Harry?"

"I'm sorry, but we need to get to the Bal'ren Bazaar before our perception filters wear off."

"Okay," Little Sarah sighed

"Tell you what, if it's OK with The Doctor, you can come here tomorrow while I'm at work."

A little smile formed on Harry's face. Sarah Jane then walked out into the corridor with her clone, but then stepped back into the living room.

"Harry," Sarah Jane said, a tad embarrassed, "Could you help me find the way out?"

/

Harry did just that, gladly helping them. As soon as they were gone, Harry sat down on the console room chair, and started fixing his Nintendo.

"Harry!" Donna called, walking into the room, "Your father and I have been talking with Paul, and he's agreed to spend more time with you."

"It's alright mum," Harry replied, "I've got a new friend."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Little Sarah."

"I've always hoped Harry would end up with Sarah," Donna admitted

"What?"

"Sorry, that's some of your father's memories talking…"

/

/

/

More to come soon


	4. Time War

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Paul, Harry, Donna, and The Doctor sat at the dinner table in the TARDIS, eating their evening meal.

"…And The Vardans used the hole in the shield to invade Gallifrey. But their entrance let K9 track down their home planet and give me the correct co-ordinates. I used them to beam the Vardans back to their home world and then trapped them in a time loop."

"What about Leela?" Harry asked

"Oh, right when I beamed everyone away, Leela and her warriors reached the Panopticon, and we had a short celebration. But just when we thought we were safe," The Doctor grinned, "Three Sontaran soldiers materialized in the chamber, and one pointed his blaster right at me."

"And then?" Paul asked, eagerly

"You'll find out tomorrow…"

/

They continued to eat dinner.

"Hey Dad, did the Panopticon change from the last time you were in Gallifrey?" Harry asked

"I didn't really notice," The Doctor admitted, "I was busy fighting The Master."

"Can we go to Gallifrey sometime and see it?"

Awkward silence.

"Harry, Gallifrey was destroyed," The Doctor reminded

"I know, but since we have a TARDIS, couldn't we go back to before it was destroyed?"

"It's more complicated than that."

"How?"

Donna looked cautiously at Paul; he caught on.

"I'm going to go get some more spaghetti," Paul said, getting up

"I'll give you a hand," Donna said, following him

/

The Doctor was alone with Harry.

"What was that about?" he asked

"I'm going to tell you about The Time War," The Doctor explained, "Do you know what it is?"

"I heard you talk about it with Little Sarah's mum, but I didn't really understand. What is it?"

"The Time War was a war between my…our people, and the Daleks. It started when the Time Lords sent me back in time to try and stop the Daleks from ever being created. After that, it went on and on, sneak attacks, trying to erase the other from existence, until we decided to enter a Time Lock and fight it out until only one side was left. It went on for years, and it just got worse. The Time Lords started to become more sinister than they already were, and eventually, they started working on a way to break the time lock. I couldn't let them get out, with all the evil and hatred they had acquired. So I used The Moment to destroy Gallifrey."

"What's The Moment?"

"It's…I'd rather not go into details. But it basically erased everything that had entered the Time-Lock. The Dalek fleets, the Time Lords, TARDISes, Gallifrey, the Artifacts of Rassilon, and even Skaro, the Dalek's home planet. I'm still not sure how I managed to live through The Moment."

"Wasn't there another way?"

"I tried. I tried everything, but in the end, it was the only way to spare the universe from the wrath of the Time Lords."

"Was it worth it?"

"I like to think so."

"So just you survived? No other Time Lords?"

"Well…The Master fled during the early days of the war. And there are about a dozen exiled Gallifreyans scattered around the universe - your cousin Susan for example - but no one else, none of our people. I was alone for years, but then came the Meta-Crisis…and I found someone."

"Mum?"

"Oh yes. I was lucky that the last female Time Lord was also my best friend. And a redhead…but that's another story. Now how about some dessert?"

/

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More to come (sorry for the short chapter)


	5. Joyride

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"Come on, Paul, what is it?" Greg urged

Paul had dragged Greg outside afterschool, to behind the wall where students sneaked cigarettes.

"I just need to make sure no-one's watching," Paul explained, "No one can see this."

He reached into his pocket, and took out his sonic screwdriver. Greg's eyes lit up.

"You've got a…!" he gasped

"Yep," Paul nodded

"Does your dad know you took it?"

"He gave it to me."

"No way!" Greg punched Paul's shoulder, "To keep?"

"Yeah."

"So what can it do?"

"Watch."

Paul held his screwdriver out to the headmaster's car, and switched it on. There was a loud buzz, but nothing happened.

"Hold on, it'll start in a second," Paul assured

"OK."

The screwdriver kept buzzing.

"Noble!" came an accusing voice

Paul turned around, seeing Mr. Pierce standing behind him.

"What are you doing?" he demanded

"Oh, I, uh…" Paul attempted to hide his sonic screwdriver

"What have I told you about wearing those horrible jackets?" he barked

"It's just a hoodie!" Paul protested, "I'm not in a gang!"

"I don't care!"

"Mr. Pierce, we're not trying to offend anyone," Greg said, "We're only wearing them because it's cold today."

"Shut up, Harkness."

"OK, you asked for it," Greg growled, "I'm going to date your daughter!"

"I don't have a daughter, I only have a son," Mr. Pierce smirked

Then he remembered what Mrs. Bower had told him about Greg.

"Noble, you can keep wearing the hoodie!" Mr. Pierce said quickly

He left.

"Well, I'd better go walk my bro home," Paul decided, "Thanks for that, man."

"Anytime."

/

The two young Time Lords were on their way home.

"…B-A-C-I-L-L-U-S space A-N-T-H-R-A-C-I-S," Harry spelt

"Good. Definition for a bonus point?"

"Scientific name for Anthrax."

"Correctamundo."

The two of them walked up the stairs to the TARDIS, and found a note on the door.

"Boys," Harry read, "I have to go pick your father up from work, do not leave the TARDIS. We will be back in two hours."

"Cool," Paul grinned, sticking his key in the lock, "We should do something wild. Something we've never done before, something so…"

"You're going to invite Greg over to watch TV?"

"Oh yeah."

/

Moments later, the three boys stood in front of the freezer door, attempting to open it with Paul's sonic screwdriver.

"I was promised fudgesicles," Greg reminded, "When you called and invited me over, you said you had fudgesicles."

"Hey, I only got this two days ago!" Paul protested, "I'm still figuring out how to use it."

"Try the black button on the side," Harry suggested

"I'd rather not," Paul said

"What's the worst that could happen?" Greg asked

"Well, several of the TARDIS's emergency protocols are keyed into…well, OK."

Paul pressed the black button, and to his surprise, the screwdriver switched to its lance setting, fusing the lock together.

"Dang it!" Paul groaned

"Well what can we eat now?" Greg asked

"We've got an account at Domino's," Harry suggested, "We can go pick up a pizza."

"But mum and dad said we can't leave the TARDIS," Paul reminded

Harry and Greg exchanged glances, and then turned to Paul. He could tell what they were thinking.

"No! No! No!" Paul exclaimed, "We are not taking the TARDIS anywhere!"

"You said you've flown it loads of times," Greg said, "If you can just land it somewhere near Domino's…"

"I've never flown solo before. What if something goes wrong, or what if…?"

"What if everything goes alright and we can enjoy some nice hot pizza?" Greg asked

/

The boys walked into the console room.

"Right…" Paul breathed, "Small twist to the Helmic regulator, recalibrate the vortex generator, flick whatever that thing is…"

The time rotor started to ascend and descend; it began to grind.

"Is there any way to get rid of that sound?" Greg asked, "It's kind of loud."

"The only way to do that is to switch off the brakes."

"Then why don't you…"

"The brakes anchor us to our plane of reality," Harry informed, "If we flew without them, there's a big chance we could fade away into nothingness."

"Wow."

"It's like the first rule of TARDIS-ing," Paul added

"So anyone who would switch them off would be really stupid?" Greg asked

"And selfish."

/

The TARDIS materialized.

"Liverpool Street, alleyway between Magpie Electronics and Domino's," Paul said, triumphantly

"Awesome," Greg walked to the door, "Noble, you're alright."

Greg opened the doors, and then slammed them shut.

"You're off by a bit," Greg said

"How much?" Paul asked

"You have to see it to believe it."

"How far am I off? Oh no, did we leave the country?"

Paul took a look outside the TARDIS doors. At first, it looked like they had landed in a furnace, then he saw melting clocks, giant eyeballs, gargantuan monsters, tentacles that appeared to come from nowhere, and many other surreal eyesores.

"Rassilon…" he groaned

"What is it?" Harry asked

"Acid trip dimension."

/

"How could that have happened?" Greg asked, "What did you do?"

"Well, I turned on the Helmic regulator," Paul remembered, "Then I did that thing with the vortex manipulator, adjusted the Trihite manipulator, yanked the Ranitizer…"

"That sounds right," Harry said

"…then I switched the brakes off," Paul continued

"You said never to do that!"

"Hey, you know not to talk to me when I'm flying!" Paul protested

"But do you see what you've done?" Greg exclaimed, "You've doomed us to an eternity in a nightmarish wasteland where fear and reality coincide into one timeless…!"

Paul took out the hammer from beneath the TARDIS console.

"…and when we escape they'll find nothing left but a degenerated waste of…" Greg babbled

"Harry, look away," Paul ordered

He walked up to his best friend and struck him on the head with the hammer, killing him; Greg was dead before he hit the ground. Then he shot back up.

"Thanks, Noble, I needed that," Greg gasped

"Anytime."

"So, how do we get home?" Greg asked

"Can we set it to return?" Harry suggested

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Greg said

"Um…" Harry pointed to a button labeled 'return' on the console

"Oh," Greg stood corrected, "Well, I guess…there's…no reason to…stay…"

"Yeah…" Paul's eyes darted to the closet, "We…don't…have to…"

"Not if we don't…want to," Harry said

The three boys exchanged glances. It was like a Mexican standoff.

"I'll get the suits!" Paul said

"I'll hold the door!" Harry said

"I'll get the ropes!" Greg said

/

Moments later, Greg and Paul were outside the TARDIS in their spacesuits, observing the dimension.

"Wow…" Greg breathed, "What could this be?"

"My guess is, it's a point in reality where two universes overlap," Paul said, "It might even be the other side of the rift."

"Cool."

Paul adjusted the controls on his wrist, and he ascended a few feet.

"I think this is the weirdest thing we'll ever do," Greg admitted, "After this, I just can't think what could top it."

The two of them drifted lazily through the dimension. Everything seemed to be getting farther away from them, it was like something out of a dream.

"Hey Paul?"

"Yeah."

"I don't think this is another dimension."

"Then what could it be?"

"That place my exes tell me to go to."

There was an awkward silence.

"Do you want to go back inside?"

"Sure…"

/

Paul tugged on his rope, and Harry began to pull them back inside. The moment they crossed the threshold, gravity took its effect on them. It was very hot outside, but in the TARDIS it was cool.

"OK, time to return," Paul approached the console, removing his space helmet, "Just press the button, and we'll get back home."

"But we are home," Harry reminded

"Oh yeah," Paul thought about it

/

The TARDIS materialized right into the space it had occupied it at the Cartmel Estate, as if nothing had happened.

"We've got to do this more often," Greg said

"Yeah," Harry agreed

"Next time mum and dad leave, I'm taking us to Corto-9," Paul said, "Green-skinned slave girls as far as the eye can see."

"Cool," Greg grinned

He reached into his pocket, and took out a pack of cigarettes.

"I'm going for a smoke," he announced

The young immortal walked to the door, and opened it up.

"Oh, Paul? You made one tiny mistake," Greg informed

"What's that?" Paul asked

Greg opened the door all the way.

"Rassilon's beard!" Paul groaned

The TARDIS had landed exactly in the space it had occupied at the Cartmel Estate. But it had landed upside down and facing the wall.

"How could that have happened?" Greg asked

"Um…" Paul began, "Do you think that I should have switched the brakes back on before we returned?"

/

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Will update soon


	6. Dinner

Sorry I haven't updated in a while

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/

"Okay, spread your arms," The Doctor instructed, "Now tap into that energy that lurks within you."

Paul, Harry, and The Doctor were in the TARDIS gym, standing on foam mattresses.

"Do you feel it?" The Doctor asked

"I'm feeling something," Paul said, "It's as if I'm…"

Suddenly, Paul and Harry's hands started to glow.

"Ah!" Harry exclaimed, "It's happening!"

"No, it's just a test," The Doctor assured, "It'll stop in a moment."

The glowing soon stopped.

"And that's how you regenerate," The Doctor explained, "Remember, this is only to be used if you're dying."

"Hey dad, how many times have you regenerated?" Paul asked

"About…nine?"

"So you've got three left?"

"It's complicated. Your mum and I did a little switch, it was kind of risky, but it worked out in the end. I got a few more regenerations."

"What did mum get?"

"The satisfaction of not having her head burn up."

/

After ten minutes of regeneration practice, The Doctor let the boys go.

"Harry, you can go watch cartoons," The Doctor said, "Paul, I need to talk to you."

/

Paul threw his hoodie on, and followed The Doctor out of the corridor.

"Why do you always wear a hoodie?" The Doctor asked

"I don't know," Paul shrugged, "Just feels right."

"Wouldn't you rather wear something more sophisticated?"

"Do you think it makes me look tacky?"

"No, you look fine. It just worries your mum a bit; she's afraid of what you'll do next."

"Why?"

The Doctor decided to change the subject.

"An old friend of mine is in town next week," The Doctor said, "She'd like to have dinner with you if it's alright."

"That's cool," Paul said, "When will she come over?"

"No, I mean, she wants to have dinner with you. You, Paul Noble, Zizarkyor…"

"Why me?" Paul asked

"Well, she's writing a book on alien life," The Doctor explained, "She wants to know how it feels to be an alien youth on earth."

"Dad!" Paul exclaimed

"What? Oh, I said that word again, didn't I?"

"Do you think she'd like to meet Greg?" Paul suggested, "He's got some good stories about being immortal."

"Um…I think she's just interested in aliens."

"Dad!"

"Sorry! It's a forcive habit!"

/

The following week

/

Paul stood in the TARDIS wardrobe, trying on clothes. He wanted to try and appear sophisticated in front of his dad's friend.

"So who is she?" Harry asked

"I think her last name's Chiles," Paul tried to remember, "Dad said he owed her big time, but that was all he would tell me."

/

Paul decided to go with dark jeans, a black blazer, and a matching turtleneck sweater. He had a thing for black that he couldn't explain.

"I don't even know what we're going to talk about," Paul admitted, "I know on paper it seems hard being a non-human on earth, but I've never really had trouble with it. Have you?"

"No. In fact, it's easier."

"Exactly. Greg said the same thing; did you know he once got out of taking a test because he was legally dead?"

"How did he do that?"

"He was legally dead."

"Oh, right…"

/

Paul made his way into the console room. Donna and The Doctor were already there, along with a dark-haired woman in a red business suit. She was strange; although her face suggested a certain quality of innocence, she also looked like she had suffered a lot in life.

"Hello, you must be Paul," she said, smiling

"Um, yeah," he nodded

"My name is Ms. Chiles. I'm very much looking forward to dining with you."

"Same here."

"Shall we get going?"

"OK."

/

Ms. Chiles' car was parked in the Cartmel Estate's garage. It was a bright red Porsche, the latest model.

"Wow…" Paul was impressed, "Ms. Chiles, are you rich?"

"I've written a few bestsellers," she explained, "So yes, I do have a sizeable income."

/

Paul got into the car; it was even nicer on the inside. Ms. Chiles started up the engine, and began driving.

"So, Paul, can I call you that? Or do you have a name from your home planet that you use?"

"I've got one, but I never use it," Paul explained

"Do you mind if I ask what it is?"

"It's Zizarkyor," Paul explained, "Gallifreyan for New Beginning."

"Why that?"

"I'm the first born since the destruction of my species."

"Can I quote you on that?"

"Sure."

/

The two of them reached the restaurant; it was very high-class. Ms. Chiles had booked the best table in the room, with a perfect view of the London skyline.

"What do you feel like eating?" Ms. Chiles asked

"Uh, steak," Paul shrugged, "If they've got it. No, wait, that's a stupid statement, who doesn't have steak? Unless they're…sorry, I tend to babble a bit. I get it from my dad."

For a moment, a look of shock appeared on Ms. Chiles' face, as if she had relived a painful memory. Then it faded.

"I see," she nodded, "So, back to the book."

"Of course."

Ms. Chiles took out a notepad.

"Do you know any others who are aliens?"

"I don't like that word," Paul interrupted

"Sorry?"

"The word 'alien'. I find it kind of insulting."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I know you don't mean to be offensive, but I'd like it if you said 'non-human' or extra-terrestrial."

"OK. Do you have any non-human friends?"

"Not exactly. My best friend, Greg, he's immortal. And my bro's got a friend who's a clone…"

"Hold on, immortal?"

"Yep."

"Is his name Jack Harkness?"

"Greg Harkness. His son."

"Ah."

"Do you know Mr. Harkness?"

"We've met. I don't like to talk about it."

"It's cool."

"So, go on."

"Well, Greg's immortal, Little Sarah, Harry's friend, she's a clone, but I don't know her that well."

"Do you know anyone else?"

"Tessa, she's half Trakenite on one of her mother's sides."

"What's she like?"

"Alright I guess. But she's hard to relate to, since her parents have never let her leave earth. Tessa told me that if she'd…do stuff if I took her somewhere in the TARDIS."

"This is very interesting," Ms. Chiles scribbled furiously on her notepad, "I never pictured…non-humans…having social lives. I always thought you'd spend your time worrying about getting found out about."

"A lot of people think that. But UNIT's pretty cool about us, they silence the journalists so we don't have to worry."

"Has your identity every been compromised?"

"A couple of times. Once when I was six, and had to see the school nurse. Then there was this other time that I used telepathy to cheat on a test."

"How did they know?"

"I answered the extra-credit question that the copier cut off."

"Ah."

/

The two of them finished their dinners.

"I really appreciate you letting me into your life," Ms. Chiles said

"You're welcome," Paul said, straightening out his blazer, "If you want to talk to Greg or Tessa, I could set something up."

"Yes, maybe," Ms. Chiles nodded, uninterested

This concerned Paul; he thought Ms. Chiles would be dying to meet someone like Greg. When Ms. Chiles moved to tip the waiter, Paul placed two fingers on his temple, and attempted to read her mind; it worked better when someone was looking the other way. Ms. Chiles' mind was very fragile; guilt and fear clouded her mind. Paul stopped before he did any damage.

"Smart move," Ms. Chiles remarked

/

Ms. Chiles drove Paul home; Paul made his way up to the TARDIS.

"How did it go?" Donna asked, opening the door

"It was odd," Paul admitted, "She didn't sound like she was writing a book."

"Well, a lot of authors work in strange ways," Donna said, hustling her son inside, "Did you tell her about that science award you got?"

"It didn't come up."

"Well I think she'd be interested."

"Mum!"

"I'm just saying!"

/

Paul walked to his room, and changed his blazer for his hoodie. He then collapsed onto his armchair, and reached for his laptop. He was about to check Facebook, when someone knocked at his door.

"Enter…" Paul muttered, dead-tired

Harry walked in.

"How did it go?" Harry asked

"Bizarre," Paul replied, "Even stranger than the time dad sonic'd my iPod so I couldn't play Rogue Traders songs."

"What made it bizarre?"

"She started out asking about being a non-human, but after a while we were just talking about me."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I basically told her my life story."

"Even…?"

"Not that!"

/

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More to come…


	7. Time For School

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(Note: sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I've been transitioning to a new laptop, and I haven't had much time to write. I wrote this short chapter around 2AM, after remembering how much it sucked to get up for school)

/

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Paul was lying in his bed, sleeping peacefully. It was 6:59:55, and he had exactly five seconds left before all hell broke loose. Two, one...

"REEEE REEEE REEE!" screamed his alarm clock

"What...?" Paul groaned

His eyes reluctantly opened, and saw the clock dials glaring at him. He lashed out his fist, and pounded the snooze button, almost breaking the clock. Then he went back to bed.

/

7:15

/

"Paul," Donna knocked on the door, "Time for school!"

"Five more minutes, mum?" Paul asked

"OK..." Donna sighed

/

7:25

/

"It's been ten minutes," Donna walked in, "Now come on, get up, unless you want to be late for school."

"Mum, I don't want to go to school..." Paul groaned, "All the other kids make fun of me, and the principal hates me!"

"For the last time, he doesn't hate you!" Donna groaned, "He just doesn't like it when you call him names!"

"All I said was that he should take the bolts out of his neck!" Paul muttered, not opening his eyes

"OK..." Donna threw her arms up in the air, "Be late for school! See if I care!"

/

8:14

/

"OK, get up!" Donna demanded

"Mum!" Paul groaned

"I mean it! You'll be late for school!"

Paul turned over, and faced Donna.

"I don't care. I'm taking the day off."

"You most certainly are not!" Donna said

"Mum, I'm almost sixteen! You can't make me go!"

"Is that a statement, or a challenge?" Donna asked, "Because I can make you go! If you don't get up in the next five seconds, then I'll drag you by the ear, in your pajamas, to school."

"You're bluffing!" Paul argued

"And when we get there, I'll kiss you goodbye in front of all your friends!"

Paul couldn't take that risk; he leaped up, grabbed his school uniform, and ran to the bathroom.

"I don't want to be late!" he yelled

/

Paul took a VERY quick shower, threw on his uniform and hoodie, and ran to the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast. As he was pouring Frosties and milk into a thermos, The Doctor walked into the kitchen, in his blue pinstriped pajamas. He opened his mouth to say something.

"I know!" Paul interrupted, "I'm getting to school!"

Donna walked into the kitchen.

"Hurry up! School starts in five minutes!" Donna urged

"Okay!" Paul clasped his thermos lid shut, "Bye mum, bye dad!"

Paul ran through the corridors, and out the TARDIS doors, sprinting to school.

"Super-mum, or what?" Donna asked, indicating herself

"I don't know, I think you were a bit hard on him," The Doctor said

"Why?" Donna groaned, "Because I'm not one of those laid-back California housewife-mums that lets their kids do whatever they bloody want?"

"Um, no," The Doctor shook his head, "Because today's Saturday."

It hit Donna like a ton of bricks.

"Oh..." Donna nodded, "I'd better go after him..."

"Good idea," The Doctor nodded

/

/

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I'll try and add more soon.


	8. The Conspiracy

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/

The Nobles walked back into the TARDIS.

"That was a good service," Paul said, desperate to break the uncomfortable silence

"Yes," Donna nodded, "Wasn't it, Theta?"

"I'll be in the zero room," The Doctor muttered

He removed his black jacket, and threw it on the coat rack. Well, the vicinity of the coat rack.

"What's wrong with dad?" Harry asked

"He and The Brigadier were really close," Paul explained, "They've known each other since dad's second incarnation."

"Wow," Harry said

"Boys, I think its best if we just leave your father be," Donna said, "Let him wallow for a while."

"Okay, mum," Harry agreed

"I'll be downstairs," Paul said, opening one of the console room doors

/

Sometime later...

/

Paul was down in the TARDIS basement; it was a small area, no different than a factory or warehouse basement. He was on the couch, watching TV. Then suddenly, he was interrupted by a loud thump.

"Aaaah!" groaned Paul

That was the downside to his basement; the wall was hyperlinked to the front door, so any time someone knocked on it, it would be like sitting in Big Ben. After regaining his balance (hyperlinks tend to wreak havoc on one's equilibrium), Paul got up, ran upstairs, and opened the front door. To his surprise, there were three UNIT soldiers standing in front of him.

"We need to speak with The Doctor," the front one said

"Um..." Paul slid his hand into his pocket, where his screwdriver was, "He can't talk right now."

"Oh. Are you his son?"

"Yeah. Paul."

"OK. We have a delivery for him, can you pass it along?"

"Sure."

The soldier handed Paul a small envelope.

"What's in it?"

"Just a DVD. Don't bend it," he warned

"Got it. Thanks."

/

Paul walked down the corridor to the Zero Room. To his surprise, his dad was standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall.

"Hey Dad," Paul said, "Done with the Zero Room?"

"I never got there," he muttered

Paul decided that this wasn't the best time.

/

"Mum," Paul walked into the kitchen, "I just talked to dad."

"I know, he hasn't been doing so well," Donna said, "I think it's best if we clear out for a while. If you could just go round to Greg's, maybe even push to stay the night?"

"Okay," Paul said, "It's just..."

He held up the package.

"This just came from UNIT. It's for dad; they said there was a DVD. It could be The Brig's final message or something."

"Can you hold onto it?" Donna asked, "I think I'd like to get your father to a more stable state before we spring something like that on him."

"Are you sure? I mean, maybe watch it quick, just to be safe?"

"I think if it was important, Alastair wouldn't have used a DVD."

"Well...alright."

/

At Greg's house, Paul explained the situation.

"...but anyway, I think it's important we see it," Paul explained, "Just in case it's a limited time offer."

"Sounds in order," Greg shrugged, "Do you think you inherited anything?"

"Maybe. It might just be a farewell message."

"It would be cool if you inherited something," Greg added

"Yeah," Paul agreed

"The Brigadier was the guy with the stuffed Yeti, right?"

"Greg!"

/

They sat down in front of the TV, and started playing the DVD. Suddenly, a strange text came up on the screen.

"Oh god..." Paul breathed

It was replaced by a thirty-second timer.

"Run!" Paul yelled, "Bomb!"

Immediately, they ran out of the house, just before it literally FILLED with electricity.

"What was that?" Greg exclaimed

"Oxygen Zapper," Paul exhaled heavily, "Sparks all the oxygen in the area!"

"But why would The Brigadier send your dad a DVD that would do that?"

"It wasn't The Brigadier," Paul wiped a few shards of glass off his hoodie, "That text, I'd recognize the language anywhere."

"What was it?"

"It said 'Goodbye Doctor'."

"So?"

"In Gallifreyan!"

"I don't get it."

"Think, who speaks Gallifreyan?"

"You?"

"Not me!"

"Your dad?"

"Why would he try and kill himself?"

"Dammit Greg! I was trying to go for a profound reveal!"

"Just tell me!"

"If you can't work it out, I'm certainly not going to tell you!"

"Don't talk like you're my wife!"

"Cut out the ho-yay! This isn't a slashfic!"

/

One fight later…

/

"Okay, I'll tell!" Paul yelled

Greg let him out of the headlock.

"It's The Master, okay?" Paul sighed

/

/

/

To be continued...


	9. Colonel Stream

/

/

/

Paul and Greg were trying to teleport directly to the TARDIS using Greg's vortex manipulator.

"I'm pretty sure it's that button," Paul said, pointing to one

"For the last time, I know what I'm doing!" Greg growled

"Okay!" Paul threw his arms up defensively

Greg then realized that it WAS the button that Paul had pointed to. He shifted his position, attempting to hide what he was doing.  
"Have you got it yet?" Paul asked

"Almost," Greg attempted to turn away

He pressed the button.

"I told you so," Paul said

"Rrrrrg!"

Paul grabbed onto the manipulator. It teleported…right off Greg's wrist. Paul gave his friend an angry look.

"Did you forget to anchor it to your wrist…again?" Paul asked

"What do you think?" Greg sighed

/

They had to take the bus.

"So…you don't think The Brigadier is going to leave you his stuffed Yeti?" Greg asked

"Greg!" Paul groaned

"What? It's an heirloom! I'm sure your mom would let you have it!"

"You know The Brigadier was married?"

"Really? Damn. I liked that Yeti. Actually, if we asked Mrs. Brigadier…"

"Greg!" Paul repeated

"Sorry…" Greg muttered

There was a brief silence.

"Greg…I'm just throwing this out there," Paul began, "but is your vision…kind of red?"

Greg eyes shot wide open.

"Oh my god, you two?" he asked

"I thought it was just a side effect of the explosion, but now…it's not going away!"

"Dude, calm down," Greg assured, "It's...probably nothing to be worried about."

"I think it might be. My Time Lord vision isn't working."

"Your what?"

"Time Lord vision. It's sort of…well, I can sort of see radiation, radio waves, static electricity…but it's not working. I'm afraid it's gone for good."

"I'm sure it'll wear off. Just keep blinking."

"OK…"

Greg checked the street signs.

"We should get off soon," he said

/

They returned to the TARDIS, finding a note on the door.

"Paul," he read, "We heard what happened. There's been an emergency meeting called at UNIT about it. Harry is with Sarah Jane, please stay at the TARDIS. Love, mum."

The boys suddenly felt a sense of relief.

"Well, I guess we're not needed," Paul shrugged

"Pretty much," Greg replied, "The adults have got this one."

The immortal picked up his vortex manipulator, which was wedged between the TARDIS and the wall.

"I guess things have worked out," Greg said

"Let's go inside and hang out," Paul suggested

"Cool."

/

The two of them walked inside, and went to the TV room. It had a wall-sized TV screen, and several large beanbags instead of chairs. Paul picked up the remote.

"Want to watch Doctor Who?" Paul asked

"I'd like to check the news real quick," Greg said, "I heard that they're going to play the trailer for The Sith Strikes Back."

Paul nodded, flicked on the TV, and switched it to the BBC.

"…and the European UNIT Chiefs have convened in London," the newscaster said, "They have stated that it is no cause for alarm, but a man known by conspiracy theorists as The Doctor has been sighted among them."

On the screen came a picture of three people entering UNIT headquarters; it was out of focus, but Paul could make out his dad's trademark suit.

"The Doctor, shown here next to Sergeant Sanders and Colonel Stream…"

Greg looked closer.

"I thought Colonel Stream was sixty-three?" he asked

"So did I," Paul said, "He looks a lot younger."

"Maybe we have the age wrong?"

"I don't think so. Do you think you could look him up?"

"Sure," Greg flipped open his vortex manipulator, "Colonel Stream…"

A hologram projected out a Wikipedia page.

"Yep, the man's definitely sixty-three. He could have had plastic surgery…"

A look of fear struck Greg's face.

"What is it?" Paul asked

"Hold on…it might just be a mistake."

Greg opened another window, this time to Google, then to CNN, then to BBC news. He was searching for pictures of Colonel Stream.

"Oh boy…" he breathed

"What?" Paul asked

"You're not going to like it."

Greg tilted the manipulator so Paul could see.

/

They were all pictures of The Master.


	10. Confrontation

/

/

/

"Are you sure it's him?" Paul asked, frantically

"Yeah! Why doesn't your dad stop him?" Greg asked

"I don't know!"

"Well…maybe The Master's working with them?"

"Why would he work with them? He's evil!"

"NASA hired a lot of Nazis after WWII," Greg reminded, "If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have gotten to the moon."

"But dad would have told me if it was The Master!"

"Would he really? I mean, maybe it's a top secret thing."

"I'd better call him…"

/

Paul picked up the TARDIS phone, and dialed a number.

"Hello?" The Doctor answered

"Hey dad," Paul said, "Uh…I just saw you on TV."

"Yeah, nothing to worry about."

"Right, but…I saw Colonel Stream."

"And?"

"Well…I know who he is."

"Um…enlighten me?"

"Doesn't he seem familiar?"

"You mean does he remind me of The Brigadier?"

"No, I mean…never mind."

Paul hung up the phone.

"He's got no idea," Paul announced, "The Master must be hypnotizing him."

"Then we'd better intervene…"

/

Paul and Greg went to the armory. Paul took down a Cyberman ray-gun, but his conscience got the better of him. He slid it back.

"Wow! When did you get that battleaxe?" Greg grinned, taking it down

"At a sci-fi convention," Paul said, "I was the 1000th person to buy a Buffy the Vampire Slayer action figure, and I got the axe as a prize."

"Which character was it?"

"Hm?"

"The figure. Which character?"

"Spike. It was from the last episode, where he…"

"Paul! I haven't watched it yet!"

"Well you can pretty much figure it out when Angel shows up and…"

"Paul!"

"What? It's not like I told you that Anya gets…"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Greg clasped his hands over his ears

/

Paul and Greg emerged from the TARDIS, fully armed. Well, Greg was (all his weapons were in a golf bag). Paul just had his sonic screwdriver, and some stuff he had shoved in his pockets.

"Ready to go?" Greg asked

"As I'll ever be."

Greg flipped open his vortex manipulator, and dialed in the location of UNIT headquarters. Paul grabbed onto Greg's arm, and they entered the vortex. They rematerialized in the UNIT meeting room, surrounded by The Doctor's think tank: The Doctor, Jack Harkness, a bleach-blonde man named Spear, Colonel Stream, Mickey Smith, and a mercenary with an eye patch and combat pants who went by 'Hyena'. They were also several assorted military personnel who were pointing guns at the boys.

"Don't shoot!" The Doctor ordered, "That's my son!"

"What about the other kid?" Sergeant Smithers asked

"Well, you COULD shoot him, but it wouldn't work."

"Oi!" Greg warned

"Dad, The Master has you under some kind of hypnosis!" Paul said, "He's messing with your mind."

"That's ridiculous," Colonel Stream said, "If he was here, we'd…"

"We can see through your tricks, Master," Greg warned

There were a series of gasps.

"Greg, Colonel Stream can't be The Master, I'd know," The Doctor explained, tapping his head

"But dad, we can see him," Paul explained, "The thing is…we got sent a DVD."

"And it blew up our house!" Greg added

"We know," Jack said

"It wasn't an explosion, though," Paul corrected, "It was like a lightning storm, but confined inside the house."

"Doctor…" Colonel Stream sighed, "We really don't have time for family issues."

"And it screwed up our vision," Greg said, "Now we see everything in red."

"And I can't see radio or static!"

The Doctor looked alarmed.

"And now Colonel Stream looks like The Master?" he completed

Suddenly, Colonel Stream reached into his jacket.

"Stop him!" The Doctor ordered

Two soldiers attempted to stop him, but The Master kicked them away.

"Next time, Doctor!"

There was a loud click and he teleported away. Just as he did, the image of Colonel Stream faded from his face, revealing that of The Master.

/

Later…

/

The Doctor was in his study, typing up a report on his computer. There was a knock on the door.

"Enter," The Doctor said

It was Paul and Greg.

"Hey dad," Paul said

"Hey son, hey Greg," The Doctor said, "What's up?"

"Have you got a minute?" Greg asked

"Sure," The Doctor wheeled himself out from behind his desk, "What's up?"

"There's some stuff we still don't get," Greg said, "Why is our vision red?"

"Why couldn't you see The Master?"

"How come…"

"Hold on!" The Doctor interrupted, "Give me a minute."

He lifted his legs up on the chair, held his arms around his legs, and thought for a moment.

/

"The Master was using a perception filter," The Doctor announced, "Most of the time it just diverts your attention from the object, but if you know your stuff, you can divert a person's attention to someone else's image."

"Why did he choose Colonel Stream?" Greg asked

"The name appealed to him, I guess," The Doctor shrugged

"Stream?" Greg asked

"It's an anagram," Paul corrected, "S-T-R-E-A-M, rearrange it and you get…"

"Strame?" Greg asked

"Master!" Paul groaned

"Where?" Greg spun around

The Doctor buried his face in his hands.

/

"Moving on…" he groaned, "What happened to your vision was the result of an Ort'cele Electricity Bomb. It can modify eyesight; in your case, it increased how many frames per second you saw, you had no time to be diverted or to look at radio waves. It'll wear off in a few days."

"Why would The Master do that to us?" Paul asked, "We uncovered him before he was even a threat."

"I don't know," The Doctor shrugged, "Maybe he just got too cocky and he didn't think that you could stop him. We might never know…"

The Doctor was interrupted by several bleeps from his computer. He slid back to the desk.

"That's odd…" he said

Paul and Greg looked at the screen. A video had started playing. To their surprise, The Brigadier was on it.

"Hello, Doctor," he said, "By the time this message has been activated, I will be long gone. But do not grieve for me; I led a very good life. Spending the last few years of it working with you again is the best I could have asked for."

The Brigadier picked up some pills and swallowed them.

"Cancer, I'm afraid," he said, "Soon I'll be able to lay to rest, but not until my last assignment is completed."

The man coughed, not a normal one. He drank some water and then continued.

"An old enemy of ours has resurfaced. I can't go into details, but don't worry, I've got it covered."

The Brigadier waved a DVD in front of the screen.

"That's the…!" Greg began

Paul held up a hand to silence him.

"Now, Doctor, we've got a few more things to go over…"

/

The Brigadier went on to discuss The Doctor's retirement benefits with UNIT, the rights to the alien museum, passports and backgrounds…

"And finally, Doctor, I know some UNIT personnel aren't too keen on your methods, so I'd like to give you this."

The Brigadier took out a leather-bound journal.

"I've compiled a list of UNIT generals and personal information. If they ever need…persuasion, use this."

One of the TARDIS roundels hissed, and opened up, revealing the book.

"That's it. Enjoy your life, Doctor."

/

Antarctica…

/

Delta Base was abandoned long ago by the research scientists that established it. However, it was still in use. The main room contained several alien artifacts, and a map of the world with several pins on various locations. The Master materialized in the room. He breathed a sigh of relief, and peeled off his Colonel's tunic, throwing it on the ground. The Master walked to the map, and pulled off the pin that was over London.

"Onto the next plan," he sighed

/

/

/

/

To be continued...


	11. Alone

/

/

/

Donna was in the bedroom she shared with The Doctor, straightening out her blouse.

"Right, now remember to make sure Paul finishes his physics essay, and don't let Harry into the armory. He'll say he's allowed to, but he's not."

"Got it," The Doctor nodded

"Are you sure you'll be OK?" Donna asked, "I could get Nerys to come round and give you a hand?"

"I'll be fine," The Doctor replied

/

Donna walked into the console room, carrying her suitcase. Paul and Harry were waiting for her.

"Mum, what's going on?" Paul asked

"Kids, Granddad has had a bit of a fall," Donna announced

"Is he OK?" Harry asked

"He'll be fine, but to be safe, I'm going to be gone for a few days, to help him out. Be good for your father."

"We will, mum," Harry replied

Donna hugged Harry. Then she shook Paul's hand. At first, Paul was surprised, but then he felt her slide him a piece of paper.

"Bye mum," Paul said

/

As soon as Donna was gone, Paul unfolded the paper.

/

_Paul,_

_The fire extinguishers are in the kitchen_

_Don't let your dad watch cartoons (they give him bad ideas)_

_If he regenerates, don't try and be a hero, just handcuff him to the console room railing and call Sergeant Benton._

_Love you!_

/

Later…

/

The Doctor was busy in the kitchen, cooking dinner. He checked the meat; it could stand a minute without being flipped. Quickly, the Time Lord strolled down the corridor to Paul's bedroom, and knocked on the door.

"Enter!" Paul coughed

The Doctor opened the door. Paul was in there with Greg, watching South Park on TV.

"Everything alright in here?" The Doctor asked

"Oh yeah!" Paul nodded, "We're fine."

"Can't complain," Greg added

"Good to know," The Doctor replied

He left.

"Okay, it's safe," Paul said

Greg flipped open his vortex manipulator, and pressed a button. Smoke reappeared in the room.

"That was close," Greg muttered

"Who would have thought that a device created to negate smoke bombs would have a practical use?"

/

The Doctor ran to the console room, where Harry and Little Sarah were playing with a box of old alien gadgets.

"How's it going?" The Doctor asked

"Good," Harry replied, "But I'm having trouble reassembling the nuclear implosion couplers."

"Did you try reversing the polarity of the neutron flow?" Little Sarah asked

"Oh yeah," Harry snapped his fingers

/

The Doctor ran back to the kitchen, and went back to cooking dinner. After making sure the meat was fully cooked, he placed his finger on the intercom.

"OK, guys!" The Doctor called, "Dinner's ready!"

/

Everyone assembled at the dinner table. The Doctor put down the five plates, each containing food that looked like black potato chips covered with a green meat.

"What's this?" Greg asked

"It's a traditional Gallifreyan dish," The Doctor said, "Ti'Mov."

"It looks strange," Harry said

"Come on, try it, you'll like it," The Doctor urged

Hesitantly, everyone tried some. Upon tasting, Paul lunged for a glass of water. Greg attempted to discreetly spit it into his napkin. Little Sarah kept chewing, afraid to swallow. Harry tried to block the taste from his mind, to no avail.

"Okay, I know the recipe is a bit exotic," The Doctor admitted, "But if you just have a few more bites, you'll get used to…"

The Doctor took a bite out of his food, and realized he should have let the recipe burn with the rest of Gallifrey. He swallowed reluctantly, then looked around the table, seeing judgmental looks from the kids.

"…anyone for pizza?" The Doctor reluctantly asked

/

They adjourned to a nearby Italian restaurant.

"Quattro pizzas, duo formaggio, uno pepperoni, e uno Hawaiian," The Doctor ordered, "_e extra __grissini._"

"_Molto bene_," the waiter nodded, walking away

"Hey Doctor, just throwing this out there, but when was the last time you tried cooking Gallifreyan food?" Greg asked

"Hey, the last time I cooked, no one complained."

"Yes, I heard Ushas and Koschei enjoyed it," Paul joked

The Doctor sighed and laughed. Paul high-fived Harry. Greg and Little Sarah looked bewildered.

"Family joke," Paul explained

"Oh," Greg nodded

/

They all ate a nice dinner, then had desert. Little Sarah started to drift off.

"Are you feeling sleepy?" The Doctor asked

"Uh, a little bit," Little Sarah said

"We'd better get you home. Greg, can I drop you off on the way?"

Greg tapped his manipulator.

"That's got to be useful," The Doctor said

"Not really," Greg replied, "Now I don't have an excuse for being home late."

Suddenly, the entire building shook; The Doctor's watch began bleeping.

"Oh no…"

"What is it?" Paul asked

"UNIT signals me if any violent species enter the atmosphere," The Doctor explained

He read the numbers on the watch.

"Class 4-145."

"Astro-Silurians?" Paul gasped

"I'm afraid so. We have to get back to the TARDIS!"

/

The five of them ran out of the restaurant.

"Greg, we need a teleport," The Doctor ordered

"Coming right up," Greg opened his vortex manipulator

A few seconds later, they were outside the TARDIS. They ran in, and The Doctor began flicking switches.

"If we can home into their presence beacon, we can get aboard the ship," The Doctor muttered, "I just need my screwdriver…"

The Doctor pulled it out, and jammed it in a console port.

"Yes! Got them!"

The time rotor began moving, and the whining and groaning began. The entire ship shook; the kids grabbed onto the railings.

"And we're…" The Doctor swung his hand in front of him, hitting a switch, "…here!"

The TARDIS stopped shaking.

"Now…" The Doctor turned to the TARDIS doors, "I'll deal with this. Stay here. If I'm not back in five minutes, use the fast return switch."

/

The Doctor walked out of the TARDIS, into the bridge of the Astro-Silurian warship. Commander S'rarrk turned to…

"Doctor…!" he hissed, "So, you've come to stop us?"

Two burly Astro-Silurians approached The Doctor; he held up his sonic screwdriver threateningly.

"I could," The Doctor said, "I could go on a two minute rant about what you're doing, culminating in me shutting down the ship's engines by tapping on the walls, and have it end up on YouTube but taken down by the BBC, but…"

The Doctor sighed, and put his screwdriver away.

"Can you just leave? I'm watching the kids while my wife is away, and my son's friend is here, he's almost past his curfew, and my other son's friend, Little Sarah, she's really tired, and her mum doesn't even like her getting involved in alien adventures, at least not ones this extreme, and I have work tomorrow, and afterwards I have to watch the kids, and the TARDIS' alien-vehicle-permit registration needs to be renewed, and I have to do the dishes from the failed dinner I cooked…"

The Doctor groaned, and ran his fingers through his hair. Commander S'rarrk knew what The Doctor was going through; he had seventeen kids himself (originally nineteen, but there was a shortage of food on Silurias-IV). As determined as S'rarrk was to conquer earth, he couldn't help but sympathize with another father.

"We will postpone our invasion until next week," Commander S'rarrk interrupted

"Thanks," The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, and walked back to the TARDIS, "See you then…"

/


End file.
